emergency use authorization

noun

variants or less commonly Emergency Use Authorization

plural emergency use authorizations also Emergency Use Authorizations

: an authorization granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration during a public health emergency that allows for the use of a drug or other medical product prior to its full approval

Under section 564 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), when the Secretary of HHS declares that an emergency use authorization is appropriate, FDA may authorize unapproved medical products or unapproved uses of approved medical products to be used in an emergency …

—fda.gov

Especially during a shortage, much of the red tape needs to be cut away, much as formal review processes for new vaccines and drugs gave way to Emergency Use Authorizations during the pandemic.

—Marc Siegel

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday granted emergency use authorization for the Pfizer booster for this age group …

—Aidin Vaziri

called also EUA

Examples of emergency use authorization in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To this point, the vaccine has been used under an emergency use authorization by the agency. —Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 28 Apr. 2025

This process led to the emergency use authorizations and ultimately approvals of the COVID-19 vaccines. —Alice Park, TIME, 27 Feb. 2025

As of press time, Rothberg hoped to receive emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in late December, which would enable Homodeus to distribute the kits to health professionals. —Evan Ackerman, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Dec. 2020

Several companies have received emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration and brought combination tests to market. —Neha Mukherjee, CNN, 5 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

2003, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for emergency use authorization

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Medical Definition

emergency use authorization

noun

variants also Emergency Use Authorization

: an authorization granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration during a public health emergency that allows for the use of a drug or medical product prior to its full approval

During the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, the Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization of IV neuraminidase inhibitors for hospitalized patients with influenza, creating a need for rapid decision analyses to help guide use.

—Bruce Y. Lee et al., The American Journal of Managed Care

Based on these initial findings, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an Emergency Use Authorization for the emergency use of remdesivir for the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

—Richard T. Eastman et al., American Chemical Society Central Science

called also EUA